Redemption as Shown in the Tabernacle
The ransom is the foundation of God’s plan for the redemption of mankind. It contains the fundamental idea of a corresponding price — Jesus for Adam, that is, substitutionary atonement. As explained in Tabernacle Shadows, pages 51-52:
“The bullock represented Jesus at the age of thirty years — the perfect man who gave himself and died on our behalf. The High Priest, as we have already seen, represented the ‘new’ nature of Jesus, the anointed Head and all the members of his Body foreknown of God. The distinction which is here made between the human and ‘new creature’ should be clearly understood and remembered. ‘The man Christ Jesus who gave himself ’ at thirty years of age, was he who previously was rich (of a higher nature), but who for our sakes became poor; that is, became a man, that he might give the only possible ransom for men — a perfect man’s life (1 Corinthians 15:21).
“Since the penalty of man’s sin was death, it was necessary that our Redeemer become a man, be ‘made flesh,’ otherwise he could not redeem mankind. A man had sinned, and the penalty was death; and if our Lord would pay the penalty it was essential that he should be of the same nature (but undefiled, separate from sin and from the race of sinners), and die as Adam’s substitute, else mankind could never be liberated from death. To do this the man Jesus made sacrifice ‘of all that he had’ — glory as a perfect man, honor as a perfect man could claim it, and, finally, life as a perfect man. And this was all that he had, (except God’s promise of a new nature, and the hope which that promise generated); for he had exchanged his spiritual being or existence for the human, which he made ‘a sin offering,’ and which was typified by the Atonement Day bullock (John 1:14, Isaiah 53:10).”
Hence, strictly speaking, sin offering and atonement are shown and the ransom is not shown in the Tabernacle, because no corresponding price is shown: a bullock does not die for another bullock, and a goat does not die for another goat. However, the idea of the ransom is subtly shown.
SILVER SOCKETS
Consider the following from Exodus 26:15-25 about the construction of the Tabernacle itself. Of particular interest is the foundation of the Tabernacle — the silver sockets.
“And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up. Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board. Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle. And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward. And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons. And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards: And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards. And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners. And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.”
Artist’s conception of tenons and silver sockets
Each of the forty-eight boards of the Tabernacle had two tenons, extensions of wood. Each of which plugged into a silver socket. Two sockets for each board gave the structure a firm, unmovable setting. Thus there were two times forty-eight, or ninety-six silver sockets supporting the outer walls of the Tabernacle.
There were also four more silver sockets under the four pillars within the Tabernacle that held the inner vail, dividing the Holy from the Most Holy. Thus the total number of silver sockets, for the boards and pillars, was one hundred.
SOURCE OF THE SILVER
The source of the silver that was used to make the sockets gives us a clue to their meaning. We first observe in Exodus 30:11-16 that a collection is taken from Israel. Rotherham translates these verses as follows:
“Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying — When thou takest the sum of the sons of Israel, by their numberings, then shall they give every man a propitiatory- covering1 for his soul to Yahweh, when they are numbered — that there may be among them no plague when they are numbered. This, shall they give — every one that passeth over to them that have been numbered — a half-shekel by the shekel of the sanctuary — the shekel is twenty gerahs — the half-shekel, shalt be a heave- offering to Yahweh. All who pass over to the numbered, from twenty years old and upwards, shall give the heave- offering of Yahweh. The rich, shall not give more, and the poor, shall not give less, than the half-shekel, when they give the heave-offering of Yahweh, to put a propitiatory- covering over your souls. So then thou shalt take the silver for the propitiatory-coverings from the sons of Israel, and shalt expend it upon the service of the tent of meeting — thus shall it be for the sons of Israel as a memorial before Yahweh, to put a propitiatory-covering over your souls.”
Cutaway view showing boards and sockets
In verse 16 this collection of silver is called “atonement money” in the King James Version, and a “propitiatory covering” by Rotherham. Both of these expressions remind us of the atonement price Jesus paid with his life. How was this “atonement money” used? The context tells us that it was to be used for the service of the Tabernacle. But a more specific answer is given in Exodus 38:25-27.
“And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men. And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket.”
Most of this “atonement money” was used to make the hundred silver sockets! So they are scripturally associated with the related concepts of ransom and atonement. The Tabernacle foundation beautifully connects with Jesus as the foundation of the church.
The lesson does not stop there. We saw from those texts that each silver socket weighed one talent. This weight or quantity of silver also connects with the value of a man’s life.
“And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver” (1 Kings 20:39).
In this text a prophet of God spoke to King Ahab and stated that the value of a man’s life was one talent of silver. Thus the value of each silver socket relates to the value of a man’s life. In the case of the lesson we are examining, the life can be none other than Jesus’ life, especially as a ransom for the life forfeited by Adam — another man’s life.
THE NUMBER 100
There is yet one more lesson that relates the silver sockets to Jesus. We observed that there are exactly 100 sockets. The number 100 is another symbol of Jesus and his atonement work. This is seen in the price of redemption for the firstborn. While Israel was in the wilderness, the Levites were to be exchanged for the firstborn. Since the number of firstborn exceeded the number of Levites, the remainder were to be redeemed with 100 gerahs (Numbers 3:46, 47, 18:16). After entering the land there was also a price of redemption for every new firstborn. The price was one lamb (Exodus 13:13). Thus the Bible provides an equation that 100 gerahs is equivalent to one lamb. This authenticates the symbol that the number 100 pictures Jesus and the redemptive price he paid.
We may support this further by noting that the gate to the courtyard contained an area of 100 square cubits (20 cubits wide by 5 cubits high). The door to the Tabernacle was also 100 square cubits (10 cubits wide by 10 cubits high). In each case, the portals represent Jesus as the way into a new condition. Through him we first enter the court condition of tentative justification, and then into the holy condition of consecrated living.2,3
Seeing the ransom pictured in the foundation sockets is consistent in yet another way. Each board fit snugly into the sockets by means of two tenons. The heavy silver sockets would act as a firm foundation for the Tabernacle. The boards may represent the individual members of the church and their two-fold standing in Christ. Our foundation in Jesus is by virtue of our justification. We stand in his righteousness. Secondly, his blood also sanctifies us. Sanctification is the process by which we are set apart to do God’s holy service and be prepared for our station beyond the veil.
Silver is also a symbol of truth. So the silver sockets not only depict the value of the ransom sacrifice — the perfect life of Jesus — but it also suggests that this is a precious truth to us.
HAILSTONES OF A TALENT WEIGHT
One concluding note regarding the use of a talent is found in Revelation 16:21. There, we read about mighty hailstones bombarding the earth, each the weight of a talent. This picture combines two symbols. Hail is water that has frozen. Water is a symbol of truth. Hard water, ice, is then a picture of “hard” truths. These are truths that are not particularly appreciated because of the pain they cause. What truths would they be? Perhaps they would be truths associated with the value of life, the weight of a talent. The life of Jesus is a vital part of our redemption. But it is also true that the lives of every human being are precious to God. To their shame, the rulers and governments of this world have shown little regard for the value of the life of others. In the final stages of the Armageddon battle they may be compelled to face this hard truth.
— David Stein
(1) Though the King James Version uses the word “ransom” here, Rotherham used the more correct translation of kopher, which means “to atone” or “atonement.” The proper Hebrew word for ransom, gaal, is not used here, and Rotherham seems careful in the matter. In fact the word gaal, ransom, is used in Leviticus only in chapters 25 and 27.
(2) It is of further interest to note that there are also exactly 100 stones in the Kings Chamber of the Great Pyramid of Cheops! This chamber has been suggested to be a symbolic parallel of the Most Holy — representing the attainment of the divine nature. If so, the number 100 again reminds us that Jesus has opened this way for us.
(3) It is interesting to note that in the King James Version, the word “lamb” occurs 100 times.